


Airs and Graces

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 17:16:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11490984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: A story about Anne and Concorde.





	Airs and Graces

Throughout her life, Anne had changed her mind about her dreams only once. The first dream had been to be a famous model. Her face would be on the covers of magazines, and everyone would desire to either be with her or be her. She would be famous, and all for her stunningly good looks.

But that changed one year when a new girl by the name of Lisa came to town. She’d stolen Anne’s latest adoring catch first, and then she’d thrust Anne into a life that she’d never dreamed of. But no, that wasn’t right.

Truly, it had started when Anne had expressed her desire to have a horse at the age of ten years old. Her parents had purchased her a young grey Jorvik Warmblood, with a mane and tail the colour of the purest snow. He was to be used for dressage, they said.

“But mama, papa, only certain horse breeds are good at dressage,” Anne had said at the time, being the typical snobby little blonde girl. Anne hated that girl now. So stuck up and self-righteous, convinced that the handsome stallion could do nothing but run. Everyone had a Jorvik Warmblood, he was the most basic horse. She’d had no idea, then, of the true power of the Jorvik Warmblood.

But then her mother had explained to her that the Jorvik Warmblood was actually rather skilled at dressage. They had a special bond with their rider, she’d said, much like an Akhal-teke.

“But he’s not as elegant as a Lipizanner,” Anne had pouted.

“While appearance is an important part of dressage, you can change that,” her mother had said. “You can style his mane and tail differently. But the most important thing is that he will listen to you. And he can be graceful. You’ll see.”

Anne had struggled to bond with the horse at first. He wasn’t a Lipizanner, he was just a basic horse. But then, as her parents began to travel for political reasons, Anne began to spend more time at the stable. And she began to even like the new horse.

“Well, horse, let’s see what you can do,” Anne had finally decided one day. The riding instructor who lived on the von Blyssen estate had come out of the riding house then, and she’d been quite stunned to see Anne sitting up in the horse’s saddle.

“By Aideen, I thought I’d never see the day,” the woman had said.

“I was bored,” Anne had said. “Now, how is this horse at dressage? It is the noblest of equestrian sports, after all.”

“I’ll make you a track,” the woman had said, and Anne had rode the horse around the different patterns quite easily. She’d expected him to be clumsy, but the horse put his hooves down perfectly. He even managed the tight turns, and walking backwards was a breeze.

“But can you do this?” Anne had asked, and pulled on the reins while squeezing his sides with her feet. And the horse had risen up perfectly, stunning Anne into silence. Ever since that first levade (though Anne had later discovered that it was rather clumsy), Anne had fallen in love with the horse.

“Together, we will conquer the world, boy,” Anne had said after dismounting him at the end of the practice course. “Conquer… hmm. Concorde. That can be your name.” She’d smiled, and the horse had nickered in delight. At finally being named, or just at finally having attention, Anne hadn’t been sure.

And yet still, Concorde’s impressive skill at dressage hadn’t been enough to draw Anne away from her dream of being a model. She could be both, she’d thought. And then Lisa had arrived, and Anne had learned of her and Concorde’s true destiny. And she’d lost him, and found him again. She couldn’t lose him again. So she’d given up her dream of being a model, to instead compete in dressage on an international scale.

Being under the lights out in the arena, with all eyes and cameras on her and Concorde, Anne had felt the purest joy and pride flood through her. Pride that her horse, her Jorvik Warmblood who she had dismissed so early on, had come this far with her. They won so many competitions together. It became known, through Concorde, that the Jorvik Warmblood was as skilled at dressage as the Lipizanner. Perhaps even moreso. Or perhaps it was just that Concorde was the greatest horse ever. He even had wings now, though only Anne could see them.

They finished each show with a levade, and, though Anne felt as though she could burst with joy, she simply smiled politely so as not to appear inelegant. The lights on her were warm, but not as warm as Anne was with the love she felt for her horse. Her precious, special horse. The one who had been unwanted, and now, was loved and wanted more than ever.

The lights and cheering faded away into nothingness. Nothing but the eerie howling of distant Shadow Seekers. Concorde was gone. He had been for a long time now. And instead of the bright white lights of the arena, all that Anne could see was the bright pink of Pandoria. In her love of being with Concorde, Anne had forgotten the bigger picture. The war. Their enemies. Her powers. This place. Sitting alone in the pink wasteland, Anne cursed her past self for getting so caught up in the joy of it all. Even though, right now, that joy was the only thing keeping her sane.


End file.
